Portrait of the Ecological Self Survey

Through my search for the ecological self and my study of the symbols that illuminate this self, I went through a process of discovering how Nature ‘speaks’, which is often through formal relationships and symbols, the very language of art.

I began to conceive of how this might be a way to deeper ecological understanding. To use art to uncover the intimate relationship to place that exists in all humans and to use nature’s symbols as a way to rejoin the psyche with the earth for renewed meaning.

I invite you to join the project by filling out this survey form to find your own unique nature-based symbols and images. The survey results helps us identify threads and patterns in our relationship to nature and inspires new imagery for the project. Contact information is optional.

The survey is based on the following premises:

There is an intimate relationship to place that exists in all humans.

Through even a rudimentary look into nature’s symbols, it becomes clear what a rich link they are between us, our natural environment, the cosmos and our internal selves.

Childhood or mystical experiences with nature hold key images that illuminate this connection. These images and experiences are specific and unique to each individual.